In the TCP three-way handshake, which event initiates the connection from the client side?

• A. The server responds with SYN-ACK.
• B. The client sends a SYN.
• C. The client sends an ACK.
• D. The server sends a FIN.

Answer: (B)

Starting a TCP connection is done by the client sending a SYN segment. This initial SYN, carrying the client's initial sequence number, signals the intent to open a session and begins the three-way handshake. The server then replies with a SYN-ACK to acknowledge the request and provide its own sequence number, after which the client sends an ACK to finish establishing the connection. The other options describe later parts of the conversation (the server’s SYN-ACK, the client’s final ACK) or termination (FIN), so they don’t initiate the connection.